The busy April 2012 night sky
Welcome to the April night sky. This month marks the last opportunity to see the gas giant planet Jupiter, as it sets soon after the Sun over in the west.
The February 2012 night sky
by Clive Jackson features@algarveresident.com Clive Jackson is the Director of the Astronomical Observatory of Tavira (Sitio do Malhão, Tavira) and the Camera Obscura (next to the Castle in Tavira), specialising
Clear winter nights
WELCOME TO the December night sky and to the cold clear nights of winter. On December 21, the Sun is at its lowest point in the heavens and this gives
A month of meteor showers
By CLIVE JACKSON WELCOME TO the November night sky. This is the month when the winter constellations start to appear in the evening night sky and the long dark nights
Autumn is on its way
By CLIVE JACKSON WELCOME TO the October night sky. This is the month when we really notice the nights lengthening and the constellations of summer are replaced by those of
Pluto’s relegation
Clyde Tombaugh was only 24-years-old when he discovered Pluto, while working at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona in 1930. He had spent six gruelling months examining images of the sky,
The end of summer – By Clive Jackson
WELCOME TO the September night sky. This is the month of the autumnal equinox, when the Sun crosses the celestial equator or, in other words, takes its journey southwards. It
August showers – By Clive Jackson
WELCOME TO the August night sky. This is the month when much of Europe is on holiday and people have more time to spend outside during the warm summer nights.
The giant planet
By CLIVE JACKSON WELCOME TO the July night sky. This month begins with the giant planet, Jupiter, with a volume 1,300 times larger than our Earth, visible high in the
The June night sky
WELCOME TO the June night sky. This is the month of the summer Solstice, when the Sun is at its highest point in the sky, staying above the horizon for